Agony (Entangled Hearts Duet Book 1)

by Kaylee Ryan

  “That’s what I do. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t?”

  Right. Best friend. He’s more than that to me, but he’s never led me to believe we could ever be more. No, that’s just my traitorous heart falling for him when he’s off-limits. I think I was maybe thirteen when I first felt… something. Something other than friendship with my best friend. We were at the Valentine’s Day dance, and I was sitting on the bleachers, just taking it all in. My friends Janie and Beth were with me. Anyway, Janie and Beth were both asked to dance, so I was sitting alone. Cooper and a few of his friends were close by, and I tried to sink into myself. I should have known better. Coop noticed and left his friends standing mid-conversation and came to me.

  He held his hand out for me, and I could feel my face heat with embarrassment. Not wanting to make a scene, I took it. He led me out onto the gym floor and put his arms around me. By this point, we’d hugged hundreds of times, but this time, it felt… different.

  That was the moment that my heart began to wish he was more than just my best friend. That also triggered the rumors that we were more than just friends. It’s a battle we’ve fought since the day we met, but at thirteen, girls are cruel and full of jealousy. Coop has that tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him. He attracts female attention wherever he goes. However, I’m the only one who gets it unconditionally.

  Hence the yearning from my heart. No matter how many times I try to stop it.

  “There he is!” a loud voice calls out. “Our freshman running back. Get your ass over here, Reeves,” the very large, very loud guy orders.

  Cooper, with his arm still around my shoulders, guides us to the group. At first glance it’s obvious they’re all football players. Tall, large, built guys surround the entire right side of the huge fire. When I say huge, I mean huge. It has to be at least fifteen feet wide.

  “’Sup, rookie.” The large guy who called us over holds his fist out for Cooper.

  “He’s hardly a rookie,” another one adds. He too offers Cooper his fist in greeting.

  “This your girl?” the big one asks.

  “This is my best friend, Reese. Reese, this is Levi.” He points to the big one. He’s by far the tallest guy here. “And this is Dustin.”

  “Hi.” I wave awkwardly.

  “Just friends, huh?” Levi asks, raking his eyes over my body. I can’t help the blush that I feel creeping across my cheeks at his attention.

  “Yep. Since we were kids,” Cooper offers.

  “What are you drinking?” Levi asks me.

  “Oh, uh, nothing for me. Thank you.”

  “Come on. You have to have a drink. We’re celebrating the upcoming season. We’re going all the way, baby.” He cheers, holding his red Solo cup up in the air.

  “Does your coach know about the alcohol?” I ask Cooper.

  “It’s the last hoo-rah of the season where he’s not going to scold our asses for drinking,” Dustin answers.

  I nod. Pulling my gaze from the football players, I take in my surroundings. The fire is huge, and this field is full of college students, who, from the looks of it, are already well on their way to being two red Solo cups past being drunk. I’ve never been much of a drinker. I don’t like not having control or knowing who I might end up with, or worse, where I might end up the next morning. And who likes to wake up with a pounding headache and their mouth tasting like ass? No, I’ve never tasted ass and have no plans to. However, I could only imagine that the morning-after bender breath is the equivalent.

  “Hey, Cooper.” A voice that sounds like a toddler purrs as she stops to stand in front of us. “I was hoping you would be here.” She sticks out her tits and twirls her hair on her finger.

  Did I forget to mention that I’m still standing next to him and that his arm is still around my shoulders? We’re freshmen, new on campus by only two weeks. She has no idea who or what I am to him. And she doesn’t care. None of them do.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell him, removing his arm from my shoulders and stepping away.

  “Where are you going?” he calls after me.

  “Just over here.” I point to Levi and with more confidence than I feel make my way over to him. “Hey.” I wave awkwardly, and he grins.

  “Hey.” He reaches into a cooler in the back of the truck he’s leaning against, pulls out a bottle of water, and offers it to me.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” He winks. “So, your boy found someone else?”

  “He’s not mine. We’re seriously just best friends. We’ve been neighbors since we were eight. He’s more of a brother,” I say in explanation. I leave out the part that I love him more than just a brother. Nobody wants or needs to hear that. Besides, that’s something I plan to take with me to the grave.

  “Hop up here and have a seat.” He pats the tailgate next to him.

  “Short girl problems,” I say, looking at the tall truck and the high tailgate.

  He throws his head back and laughs, and before I know it, his hands are on my waist, causing me to squeal loudly in surprise, and he’s setting me on the tailgate. He picks up his cup and leans his elbow on the tailgate, his body facing me. He’s wearing a shit-eating grin. “Much better.”

  “How tall are you?” I blurt the question. I’m sitting on the tailgate of this tall truck and we’re still almost eye to eye.

  “Six six.”

  I nod before saying again, “Thanks for the water.”

  “You’re welcome. So, you’re a freshman too, right? I think I would have remembered seeing you around campus.”

  “Yes. You?”

  “Sophomore.” He’s looking out over the fire but then turns to face me. “You sure there’s nothing going on with the two of you? Coop’s giving me the death glare even through the fire. I can see the warning in his gaze.”

  I don’t bother to look. I’ve seen that look on Cooper’s face many times. “He’s just protective. Trust me.” My gut twists just a little. I wish I was wrong, but that’s just not the case.

  “All right then. Well, since you’re single and I’m single, and quite the catch I might add, we should definitely dance.” He sets his drink down on the tailgate and turns to step between my legs that instinctively open for him.

  It sounds slutty, even in my head, but it’s not. Trust me. He’s just a big guy, and well, like I said, it was instinct. “Dance? Here?” My eyes scan the field, and sure enough, there are couples dancing, if that’s what you want to call swaying back and forth with their tongues down each other’s throats.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun. We can fuck with Reeves.” His eyes dance with mischief.

  “He’s not going to care that we’re dancing.” At least not like Levi thinks he’s going to.

  “Then what’s stopping you?” he challenges.

  “Get me down from this thing,” I tell him, and he smirks.

  “I thought you’d never ask.” His hands grip my waist, and he lifts me in the air, only he doesn’t put me down. Instead, he just holds me suspended in the air, staring up at me.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, resting my hands on his shoulders for support.

  “Gotta make it look convincing.” He winks, then begins to lower me to the ground. However, he holds me close, every inch of my body pressing against his on the way down. Once my feet, attached to wobbly knees, are firmly on the ground, he links his fingers with mine and pulls me a few feet away to where the others are dancing.

  His big arms pull me close, and we begin to sway to the music. It’s a slow song, one I’ve heard countless times on the radio. I think it’s by Brett Young. “How are you liking CU so far?” Levi asks.

  “Well, I’ve only really seen my dorm room, the library, and the cafeteria outside of my classes.”

  “You don’t get out much, huh?” He chuckles.

  “Not much of a partier.”

  “Yet, here you are.”

  “Yeah, well, Coop wouldn’t leave me alone u
ntil I agreed to come with him,” I grumble.

  “Here we go,” he says, adjusting his hold on me as the song changes to Tyga’s “Taste.”

  Levi takes that as an opportunity for us to cut loose. He pulls me impossibly closer and rolls his hips. One hand is resting on the small of my back, and the other hangs at his side as he begins to rock his hips.

  Something you don’t know about me? I love to dance. It’s my jam. I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent hours in my room growing up, just dancing and acting a fool. It wasn’t until I started high school that I took it to a whole other level. Janie, Beth, and I all took a hip-hop class. I loved it. We all did. So, yeah, I’ve never been one who was able to resist moving to the beat.

  I move to straddle his leg and do a little grinding and swaying of my hips. Levi moves his hands to rest on my hips, and we quickly find our rhythm.

  “There you go. Damn, no wonder Coop’s been keeping you all to himself.” Levi’s smile lights up his face.

  I smile at him and roll my eyes. “I’ve kept myself hidden, thank you.”

  “Why would you do a thing like that?” he asks as he bends his knees and shimmies down to my level, then back up again.

  “It’s easier that way. All the football groupies they’re mean as hell, and no matter if I argue back or sit around and tell them until I’m blue in the face, they’re still catty about our relationship. They say nasty things, and honestly, I would just rather remove myself from it all.”

  “But he’s your best friend?”

  I sigh. “Yes. Which is why I’m here tonight instead of sitting at home reading my book and eating my mint chocolate chip ice cream.”

  He throws his head back and laughs, turning us around to where my back is now to the fire. “I’m a mint chocolate chip fan myself.”

  “Well, I have a small fridge/freezer in my dorm, and it’s as stocked as the tiny appliance allows. If you’re ever over in Banner Hall, stop in, and I’ll share.”

  “You might be willing to share, but your boy over there, he doesn’t look too happy about us dancing together.”

  I don’t look back, because I’ve seen the look he’s talking about. I used to get my hopes up and think that it meant Coop wanted more. However, time has shown me that his look, although intense, is just him looking out for me. “Nah, he’s just protective.”

  He leans in close, and once his lips are next to my ear, he whispers, “I think you’re wrong about that.” His hot breath caresses my ear as I struggle to comprehend his words. Then he’s gone and talking to someone next to us.

  “Reese.” I snap out of my fog when I hear my name. I turn to see Coop and some dark-haired girl hanging off his arm. “You okay?” He lifts his hand as if he’s going to touch me, and then drops it to his side.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask with more snark than he deserves. I can see a small tic in his jaw, and only because I know him well enough to know that my words hurt him. “I’m fine, Coop.” I give him a bright smile. “I was just giving Levi here a little lesson in dancing.”

  “Oh, you think so?” Levi laughs. “I want a rematch.”

  “You really think you can show me up?” I tease.

  “Yo! Dustin, gimme something good,” he calls out.

  Dustin thrusts his arm in the air giving him a thumbs-up, then bends his head to his phone. The music stops, and then an old school tune blares through the speaker on the back of what I assume is Dustin’s truck.

  “Color Me Badd? Really?” I laugh as the beginning chords of “I Wanna Sex You Up” begins to play.

  “You backing out? I get it. You’re worried you can’t hang. It’s fine.” He slides his arm around my waist. “I understand, Reese. I would be worried too if I were you.”

  “Oh, that’s cute. You think you can out dance me.” I turn so that my back is to his front and look at him over my shoulder. “Watch and learn, Levi. Watch and learn.” Bending over at the waist, my hands touch the ground. My ass is now firmly pressed against his crotch, and I do a little shaking before standing up and turning to face him.

  He’s smiling and shaking his head. “You don’t play fair.”

  I shrug. “Show me what you got, footballer.”

  “Tight end.”

  “That’s yet to be determined,” I quip. I know he was talking about his position, but I can’t help but mess with him.

  “Coop’s an idiot,” he mumbles.

  “What’s that?” I ask, even though I heard him loud and clear as if he were shouting the words.

  He shakes his head and does this slow sensual sway of his hips against mine that has a cheer breaking out among the group. I let myself get lost in the music and just groove with him. He’s got moves, especially for such a large guy. I guess all that time on the field really does help with coordination.

  Levi and I hang out the rest of the night. A few members of the team join us, trying to show up our moves, but I must admit he and I killed it. “We make a good team.”

  “You’ll do,” I tease.

  “All the time busting my balls.”

  “Well…,” I say, and we both laugh. What I thought was going to be a dreadful night, turned into a great time. I’m glad I let Cooper drag me out. Maybe, just maybe, college is going to be different.

  Chapter 3

  Cooper

  It’s Saturday. Game day. And I’m stoked. It’s the first game of the season, and Coach has me on the roster as starting running back. I knew it was happening, but I’m suited up and ready to take the field. That makes it real. My parents, as well as Reese’s, are here. They’re all in the stands somewhere. Reese and her roommate, Tessa, are sitting with them. It’s nice to have them all here for the first game of my college career.

  A loud laugh pulls me out of my thoughts. I look to my left to see Levi, all six foot six of him, staring at his phone with a smile on his face. “What’s so funny?”

  “She’s a goofball,” he says, shaking his head.

  “Who is?”

  “Reese.”

  “Reese? My Reese?” I ask. I’m shocked by his answer.

  That stops his laughter as he turns to look at me. There’s a smirk on his face. “I thought she wasn’t yours?” His statement is a challenge.

  “Of course, she’s mine,” I say, before adding, “She’s been my best friend since I was eight.”

  “Just your best friend?” His stare is intense.

  “Dude. We’ve talked about this. She’s my best friend. So why are you texting her?”

  He shrugs. “We exchanged numbers last week at the bonfire.”

  “She’s off-limits.”

  “You just said she wasn’t yours.”

  I inhale sharply. “She’s my best friend,” I repeat through gritted teeth.

  “Okay?” He grins. “Is that what the cool kids are calling it these days?”

  “Cut the shit.” I’m getting pissed, and that’s the last thing I need before taking the field. I need to focus.

  He sobers up. “So, are you telling me that I can’t talk to her? That she and I can’t be friends?”

  “She’s different,” I say, trying to remain calm on the outside while on the inside, I’m a raging bull. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to warn someone away from Reese. Hell, I’ve been doing it since we started high school. She deserves better than some player who’s not going to appreciate her.

  “I can see it in your eyes, Reeves. You don’t know me, so stop judging me.”

  “I know you. I am you,” I tell him.

  “No.” He shakes his head, his face void of emotion. “You’re not me, rookie. You’re in the big leagues now, Reeves. This is college. You might have been able to pull that tough guy shit off back in your hometown, but things are different now. She’s not your girl, and you’re no longer the big man on campus.”

  He’s right. I fucking hate it, but he’s right. “What did the text say?”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “You want me to tell you ab
out my private conversation with a friend?”

  “My best friend.”

  He shrugs. “Maybe she’s on her way to being my best friend too.”

  “You’ve known her a week.”

  “So, is there a timeline on these things? I mean, come on. If you weren’t being such a douche right now, I’d say the same for you.” He gives me a pointed look.

  “I don’t want to see her get hurt. She deserves someone who knows she’s wife material.”

  “Someone like yourself?”

  “No. Not like me. But yes, I understand that about her.”

  He watches me for a few seconds longer than is comfortable and turns his phone to show me his screen.

  Reese: Game Day: It’s all about the penetration.

  Her text is followed with a winking face emoji.

  Levi: I’m the master at penetration.

  This feeling, I know what it is, but I refuse to name it. It shouldn’t bother me that Reese is texting Levi. It shouldn’t bother me that I haven’t received a text message from her.

  It shouldn’t, but it does.

  I hate feeling this way, and I don’t know how to quell it. I don’t know how to stop feeling as if I have to protect her from everything and everyone. That’s just us. Cooper and Reese. That’s who we are, who I am. My phone vibrates on the bench beside me.

  Reese: Good luck today, Coop. I know you’re going to do great.

  It’s not a fun, flirty text like the one she sent Levi, but it’s mine. Already I can feel my shoulders relax, and the storm inside me begins to calm. She’s always had that effect on me. She’s the calm to the storm. My best friend. That’s one of the main reasons we can never be anything more. I could never risk losing her if we didn’t work out romantically. We kill it as best friends. It’s what we were meant to be.

  “That her?” Levi asks.

  Wanting to give him an olive branch, I turn my cell so he can read the screen. He nods, pats me on the back, and stands to walk away. I stare down at my phone, reading her message twice more, letting it calm me.